멘탈
men-tal
The English word 'mental' translates to Korean as 멘탈 (men-tal).
In modern Korean slang, 멘탈 is most commonly used to refer to a person's psychological resilience or mental strength, such as their mental state.
Meaning: relating to the mind (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 멘탈 is used colloquially to discuss psychological resilience, the native Korean term 정신적 is used for more formal or clinical contexts regarding 'mental' matters.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can use 멘탈 in various idiomatic expressions. For example, 멘탈이 강하다 is a common way to say someone has a 'strong mentality' or is mentally tough, while 멘탈이 붕괴되다 is a slang expression used to describe a person losing their composure or experiencing a mental breakdown.
How do you pronounce it?
men-tal
Did you know?
- When someone is experiencing a 'mental breakdown' in a slang context, they might use the term 멘탈이 터지다, which literally translates to 'one's mental has exploded'.
- The slang term 멘탈붕괴 (mental collapse) is often abbreviated as 멘붕 in texting and casual speech. This contraction is much more common in daily digital communication than the full three-syllable phrase.
- While 멘탈 comes from English, it has evolved into a 'Konglish' term with a meaning narrower than the English word 'mental'. In Korean, it almost always refers to strength and resilience rather than mental health or illness.
Examples in context
- 마음의 안정을 찾는 것이 중요합니다.Finding peace of mind is important.
- 오늘은 머리가 복잡해요.Today, my mind is complicated / Today, I feel overwhelmed.
- 요즘 마음이 무거워요.These days, my heart feels heavy / I've been feeling down lately.
- 그 사람은 멘탈이 정말 강해요.geu saram-eun mentari jeongmal gang-haeyo.That person has very strong mental strength.
- 갑자기 멘탈이 흔들렸어요.gap-jagi mentari heun-deul-lyeo-sseoyo.My mental state suddenly shook.
Example conversation
Subin and Hyunwoo are talking about a difficult exam.
- 수빈 Su-bin시험 문제가 너무 어려웠어.siheom munjega neomu eoryeowosseo.The exam questions were too difficult.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo나도 그런데 멘탈 잡고 했어.nado geureonde menthal japgo haesseo.Me too, but I pulled myself together.
- 수빈 Su-bin현우는 어떻게 멘탈을 유지해?hyeonuneun eotteoke menthal-eul yujihae?How do you maintain your mental strength, Hyunwoo?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo심호흡을 크게 하는 편이야.simhohueub-eul keuge haneun pyeoniya.I tend to take deep breaths.
